Revealing Her Secrets
by x-men are awesome
Summary: What if Ziva had a big secret that she finally decided to tell the others. This will become a Tiva story eventually. I will update as often as I can.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for one character. Don't sue me.**

_Words written like this mean it's in Hebrew._

*Words written like this mean it's in Spanish.*

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Ziva stood up from her desk and looked around the bullpen. All of her friends were there. Gibbs, Tony, Tim, Abby, Ducky, Jimmy. Director Vance was also there. It was a rare occurrence for everyone to be there at the same time, and Ziva decided to take advantage of it. "Would all of you please come over to my apartment for dinner tonight at seven? I know that it is short notice, but I have something that I need to tell all of you, and I would feel more comfortable telling all of you at my house. I will be cooking the lasagna that you all like so much." She looked around at everyone and smiled as they all agreed. Gibbs stood up and said, "In that case, I will let you go now so that you can cook dinner. We'll see you at seven, Ziver." "Thank you, Gibbs," she said. She gathered up her coat and backpack and left the bullpen. She got in the elevator and went down to ground level.

She didn't go straight out to her car though. She stopped by the daycare to pick up the reason that she was having everyone over. Her four year old son, Nathaniel. She had kept him a secret for the past four years. Gibbs was the only one who knew about him. He had been called to the hospital when she had been admitted. He actually held Nathaniel on the day he was born. He didn't know anything else about him and hadn't seen him since that day. Nathaniel came running and jumped into her arms. "Ima! _I missed you today. All the other kids made fun of me because I'm too smart. I don't like it there,_" He said. "_I know, Nate. I'm trying to find a school for the gifted to enroll you in so you'll fit in better,_" Ziva replied. She signed him out and took him out to the car. As she fastened him into the car-seat, he said, *I don't like this seat, mama. I want to sit in the big people seat.* Ziva smiled and spoke Spanish as he had and said, *I know, Nate. But it is the law. You cannot sit in the big people seat until you are until next year. Then you can sit in a regular booster seat. You'll have to use that until you are eight.* She got in the driver's seat and drove home.

On the way, she said to Nate, "I'm having my friends over tonight to meet you. You will like them. We are having lasagna. Do you want to help me make it?" "Yes!" he exclaimed. "When my friends begin to arrive, will you go back into your bedroom? I want to be able to tell everyone at once. I only want to introduce you once," Ziva explained. "Sure, Ima." The rest of the ride was pretty quiet. Once they got to the apartment, Nate unhooked himself and got out at the same time Ziva did. They went inside and got to work. They worked together and had the lasagna in the oven in record time. They then cleaned up the living room and put all of Nate's toys away. The doorbell rang as they put the rest of his toys away. Nate went to his bedroom and closed the door. Ziva knew that the time had come.

Ziva opened the door and was surprised to see Abby, Gibbs, Tony, and Ducky all standing there. The only ones left to show up were Tim, Jimmy, and Director Vance. She let them all in and greeted them each with a hug. They all went and sat down on the couches. Ziva sat with them and they talked for a few minutes. Finally, the doorbell rang again and Ziva answered it to see the last three guests. She greeted them as well and everyone sat down in the living room. Ziva went into the kitchen and grabbed nine plates. That would surely set them off when they thought there were only eight of them. She set the table and called them in. As they sat at the table, they noticed that there was one extra spot at the table. "Uh, Ziva," Tony said. "What is it, Tony?" she asked. "Why is there an extra place set?" Ziva hesitated, but knew that the moment had come. "Nathaniel. Come on out now. It is ok," she said loudly. Nathaniel hesitantly walked out of the back bedroom and came into the dining room. Gibbs smiled and said, "You've gotten big. I held you on the day you were born. You probably don't remember me." Nathaniel smiled and said, "Actually, I remember every day of my life. I know that is unusual, but Ima says that I'm special. I remember you very well. You do look a little older though." "Who is this boy, Ziva?" Tony asked. Ziva smiled and said, "This is my son. He is four years old. His full name is Nathaniel Ari David, but he likes to be called Nate. He is actually almost five. His birthday is next month." McGee sat for a second thinking, and then said, "You were with us for the past five years, Ziva. How do we not know about him? You would have been pregnant while you were with us. How could we have not known?" "I didn't show much during my pregnancy. I also wore loose clothing so that the little bit that I did show would not be noticed. I purposely hid it from all of you. I did not want you to ask questions," Ziva tried to explain. "What questions were you afraid of us asking?" Abby said. Ziva sighed and said, "I was afraid that you would ask me who the father was." Ducky joined the conversation now and said, "My dear, why didn't you want us to know who the father was?" A single tear rolled down her cheek as she said, "Because Nate's father is Salem Ulman"

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**Well, what do you think? This is just to get you interested. I hope that I did a good job. Please review this and I will update again as soon as I have the next chapter ready.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except for Nathaniel. Don't sue me.**

**Thank you for all the reviews. I didn't expect so many reviews so quickly. I think I should clarify. This story takes place almost five years after Somalia. This chapter should clarify things better. One other thing that I forgot to mention in the previous chapter, "Ima" is Hebrew for mom or mommy. I realized that many of you might not know that. I should also probably tell you that "Aba" means dad or daddy. I don't know if this word will come up, but it's better to be prepared.**

_Words written like this mean it's in Hebrew._

*Words written like this mean it's in Spanish.*

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"That bastard is the father of this boy!" Tony shouted. "Calm down, Dinozzo!" Gibbs said. "How can I, boss, when that bastard hurt Ziva!" he replied. Ziva whistled and got their attention. When they all looked at her, she calmly said, "Please do not use words like that around my son. He does not need to hear that word. I know Salem is a horrible man, but please control your mouth." Abby couldn't take it anymore. She got up and hugged Ziva. Now that she knew what Salem had done to her, she wanted to comfort her. Ziva smiled and accepted the hug.

Once Abby sat down again to finish her food, Ziva began to explain. She said, "Two weeks before you came to avenge me, I finally made Salem mad enough that I thought he was going to kill me. Instead of killing me like I wanted him too, he raped me. He did hurt me, but it was just that one time. After you rescued me, I went started getting the side-effects of pregnancy. I wanted to be sure, so I went to the doctor. She confirmed that I was pregnant, and when I told her the situation with Salem, she told me my options. I considered having an abortion, but I decided that even though I hated the man that got me pregnant, I could not kill my child. I considered myself lucky when I realized that I wasn't showing much. I did not want any of you to know about the baby. When I started showing, I began to wear looser clothing. I still went out into the field, but I was more careful when we went to arrest suspects. By the time that I was two weeks away from my due date, my doctor said that I really needed to go on desk duty. I agreed, but since I still did not want you to know, I faked an injury. I borrowed some crutches from a friend and told you that I fell down the back stairs at my apartment building. You all know how bad those stairs are, so you all believed me. That got me on desk duty for a while. I started trying to think of excuses for when I had the baby. When I went into labor a week early, I panicked. I called you, Director Vance, and told you that something had come up unexpectedly and I needed a week off. For some reason, you believed me without proof, and I was very thankful. Then I had to call Gibbs to tell him. I told him the same story that I told Vance, but I could tell that he did not quite believe me. He went ahead and trusted me though. I told him that I would see him in a week, and reminded him that I would be able to go back in the field by then because my ankle would be healed. As soon as I got off the phone with him I had another contraction. I knew that they were getting closer, so I drove to the hospital. It was the first time that I actually drove the speed limit. Once I got there, I admitted myself and told them I was having a baby. They took me into the delivery room because my contractions were only one minute apart by then. I soon delivered a beautiful baby boy. I named him Nathaniel Ari David. I did not realize that the doctor that admitted me had called Gibbs. Gibbs is my emergency contact and since I came in by myself, the doctor had called him. When Gibbs came in, I was nursing Nate. I finally told him the truth for the first time in eight months. Nate was the reason that I would not go out drinking with the rest of the team. The injury was faked, and the 'unexpected emergency' was me giving birth to him. I would not tell him who the father was though. I did not want him to know. I did let him hold Nate though. I got to see Gibbs smile. He told me to rest and recover, and that he would see me in a week. He has not seen Nate since that day. I did not want him to see the resemblance between Nate and Salem. Nate inherited many of his father's features. If you look at him closely enough, you can tell. Nate is very gifted. Although he is only four, he is in the fourth grade, and he is still too smart for them. He is already fluent in six languages. He can read, write, speak, and understand English, Hebrew, Spanish, French, Italian, and Russian. He is learning Arabic, Turkish, and German. He also cooks with me every evening. He actually cooked me breakfast on Mother's day this year. By himself before I got up. I am very proud of him. I am trying to find a school for the gifted to enroll him in. All the students at the school he is at now make fun of him. He is very mature and sometimes I do not know what to do with him. It sometimes scares me, but I love him and will do anything to make him happy."

"Ima, May I be excused?" Nate asked. "Yes, Nate, you may. Just leave your plate. I will take care of it later," Ziva replied. Nate went into the living room and sat down at the piano. He began to play Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata at a mastery level without sheet music. The entire team was shocked. Ziva said, "Oh, did I forget to mention that he can play the piano and violin at a mastery level, yet has never taken a piano or violin lesson. He can read sheet music very well and memorizes everything. He enjoys it. Sometimes, I find a four hand piano piece and we play together. He is better than me, but we both enjoy it." The team was shocked.

Since everyone was done with their food, Ziva stood up and cleared the table. The rest of the group went into the living room to watch Nate at the piano. Ziva washed all the plates and left the lasagna pan to soak. She joined the others in the living room and told them about the rest of Nate's talents while he played.

"Nate is also very good at throwing small knives and self defense. He is a fifth degree black belt in the karate class he is in after school. One of the things we do some evenings is spar with each other. He can counter any attack I deliver and vice versa. He goes on runs with me every morning. We enjoy any time we can spend together."

The rest of the evening progressed with conversation about many things and listening to Nate play both the piano and the violin. Ziva even joined him at the piano and they played a duet for the team to hear. The team left around ten o'clock. As Tony was leaving, he kissed her on the cheek on impulse. They said that they would see her in the morning, and left. As Ziva was cleaning up, Nate walked up to her and said, "Can Tony be my Aba?" Ziva was surprised. She knelt down in front of Nate and said, "We are only friends right now. I do not know if he will be your Aba. I know you want one, but I do not know if it will be Tony." "_But he kissed you. Doesn't that mean that he loves you_?" "_I don't know, Nate, he only kissed me on the cheek." "Has he ever done that before?" "No, but that doesn't mean that he loves me. Go on to bed, Nate. It's been a long day and we are still going to run in the morning." "Ok, mommy. I love you." "I love you too."_

Nate went to bed and Ziva thought about what he had said. Did Tony love her? Did she love Tony? She wasn't sure, but now she had much to think about.

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**Well, how was it? Does everything make sense now? One more little note that I forgot to mention before, there are two ends to special ed. Most people, when they think of special ed, they think of kids that don't learn right or have trouble learning or communicating. What many people don't know is that there is another end of the spectrum. There are kids that are extremely smart and mature much faster than they should. This is also special ed, because they need a specialized class or school to meet their needs. This is what Nate is. He is on the super smart end of the special ed spectrum. Please review and tell me what you think. I will continue to write and try to post something almost every day.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except for Nathaniel. Don't sue me.**

**I'm loving all the comments and that there are so many people waiting for updates. I will try to update every day, but I have several college classes that I have to do homework and reading assignments for and they may cause delays in the story. I will also probably not update on Sundays. Thanks again for all the reviews and for adding this story to your favorites and alerts.**

_Words written like this mean it's in Hebrew._

*Words written like this mean it's in Spanish.*

{Words written like this mean it's in Russian}

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Ziva got up at four o'clock in the morning like she always did and woke up Nate. They dressed in their running clothes and left the apartment at four thirty. They ran together in the park for three miles, then Nate climbed on Ziva's back and she ran another seven miles on the roads. She knew that a growing child should not run on the roads, so she made sure to run on the grass with him. After she finished her run, they went back to the apartment.

{Go get in the shower, Nate,} Ziva said. {Ok, mommy,} Nate replied. As Nate took his shower, Ziva cooked breakfast. Nate came out of the bathroom ready for school as Ziva put the plates of scrambled eggs and sausage on the table. She poured two glasses of orange juice and they both ate their breakfast in silence. As soon as Ziva was done, she went and took her shower. Nate washed the breakfast dishes while she did so.

At seven o'clock, they left the apartment and Ziva drove to Nalle Elementary School and she dropped him off as the doors were unlocked at seven fifteen. She arrived at NCIS at seven thirty, right on time. The day went by normally. They got a call out about a dead marine. As the investigation progressed, the team found that the marine had been held captive and tortured by a terrorist cell. As Ziva was trying to find out where the terrorist cell was connected to, her phone rang. "David," she said. "Hello, Ms. David. Your son Nathaniel was in a fight here at school a few minutes ago. You need to come pick him up now," the secretary at Nalle Elementary said. "What! What happened?" she shouted. "We will explain once you get here. I don't want to discuss it on the phone." "I'll be there in a few minutes." She slammed down the phone and let out a curse in Hebrew. "What's wrong, Ziver?" Gibbs asked. "Nate got into a fight at school and they want me to go pick him up now. I have to go," Ziva replied. "Go on, Ziver. You can bring him here to see what it's like here." "Thank you, Gibbs. I'll be back soon."

Ziva grabbed her coat and purse and ran to the elevator. She went down to the parking garage and got in her car. The drive that would normally take fifteen minutes only took eight. She pulled into the school parking lot and stormed into the building to find her son.

"Ima!" Nate yelled as he saw her. He had blood on his shirt and what looked like a broken nose.

"Nate! What happened?" Ziva said in surprise. She hadn't expected to see her son with blood on him.

"_I was out at recess and some of the other fourth graders came over to me and started making fun of me. One of them called me a pipsqueak and a runt. They said that I didn't belong here and that I should go back to kindergarten with the babies. Then the biggest boy pushed me hard and I almost fell down. I warned him not to try anything, but he just said, 'What are you going to do about it,' and pushed me again. When he tried to punch me, I dodged and grabbed his arm. I twisted it around and pinned him to the ground. Two of his friends grabbed me and held on to me so he could get up. Then he punched me in the stomach a few times. I had had enough. I kicked out and knocked him down. Then I fought my way loose from the other boys. A fourth boy joined the fight on their side, so now it was me against the four of them. They all attacked me at the same time and one of them got in a blow to my face. I think my nose is broken. Ducky could probably fix it. My nose started bleeding, but I ended up knocking all of them down again. I accidentally broke the biggest boy's left arm, so that's why they want you to take me home. I didn't mean to. I was just trying to defend myself and I used more strength than I intended to. All four of them were crying by the time the teachers came and broke up the fight. I was just standing there with them on the ground around me, but one of the teachers grabbed me by the arm and pulled me inside. They didn't take me to the nurse. They just brought me straight here. The other boys are in the nurse's office. I had to try to stop my nose from bleeding all by myself. I got it to stop right before you came in. I'm sorry mommy. I used my shirt to stop the bleeding."_

Ziva listened to Nate's explanation of the fight and believed him. She had heard the other students make fun of him before, so she wasn't surprised that someone finally took it to the next level. Their mistake was trying to take on a boy who was a fifth degree black belt in karate.

"Ms. David. Will you please come in here," the principal said to her from his office door. She joined him in his office and he closed the door.

"Ms. David, your son will be suspended for five days for this fight. He broke one boy's arm and almost broke several other bones on all of the boys. He is a danger to the school. I suggest you find another school for him to attend. We don't want boys like that here." "What about the boys that attacked my son! He was just trying to defend himself! Those boys were at least twice his size! If he had not fought back, he would be in the hospital right now instead of nursing a broken nose! What is being done about those other boys if you are kicking my son out of school!" Ziva shouted. She couldn't take it anymore. Nate had been tormented for far too long, and now that he stood up for himself and defended himself from an attack, he was being punished for it.

"Ms. David! There is no need to shout! The other boys are being suspended for three days and will be on in-school suspension for three more days after that. Your son just isn't a good fit in this school." "Not a good fit! He is a genius! You should be proud of him and be trying to defend him! Not kick him out of school! He needs to be in school and most of the other schools around here will not take him because he is so young!" "Well maybe we shouldn't have accepted him either! You get your son under control before he kills someone! Now get out of my office and take your son will you! Get him into another school within the next five days or I will expel him!"

Ziva stormed out of the office and took her son by the hand. "_Come on, Nate. Let's get you to see Ducky and check out that nose. You don't need to be here._" They walked out to the car and Ziva drove the speed limit all the way back to the Navy Yard. She called Ducky on the way. "Ducky, will you please go up to the squad room. I will be there soon with Nate and I need you to look him over. He got into a fight at school and the boys got in a few good punched before he took them down." "Of course, my dear. I will see you shortly." "Thank you, Ducky. I will see you soon." She hung up and drove the rest of the way to NCIS quietly reassuring Nate that everything would be alright soon.

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**Well, how was it. Be as brutally honest as you can be. I didn't think I started this chapter out very well. Please tell me if you think otherwise. The next chapter will see Nate's prognosis and an interrogation of a terrorist suspect led by Ziva, as well as a little bit of Tiva action.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except for Nathaniel. Don't sue me.**

**Thanks for all the reviews. I'm having a lot of fun writing this story. I hope you're having as much fun reading it.**

_Words written like this mean it's in Hebrew._

*Words written like this mean it's in Spanish.*

{Words written like this mean it's in Russian}

**{**_**Words written like this mean it's in Arabic**_**}**

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Ziva pulled into the garage at NCIS and parked in her normal spot. She and Nate went inside and went straight to the bullpen. Ducky was there, just as Ziva had asked him to be, and when he saw Nate, he said, "What happened to you, my boy? That's a lot of blood on your shirt." "The boys that attacked him got in a few good punches, Ducky, and they broke his nose. I need you to look at his hose and check his stomach to make sure the punches did not hurt anything," Ziva said.

"Come over here, my boy, and let me take a look at you," Ducky said. Nate went over to Ducky. Ducky picked him up and put him on Gibbs desk to get him up to a good level. He began to look over Nate's bruises and felt his nose. "Well, you were right, Ziva. His nose is broken. I can fix him up just fine. His stomach will have a few bruises, but they will fade within a week or so. I need to set his nose though. Jethro, will you hold his head still so he doesn't jump when I set his nose?" Gibbs put a hand on either side of Nate's head from behind and held on tightly. Ducky firmly grabbed Nate's nose and jerked it back into the correct position. Nate screamed in pain. Ziva jumped and a tear rolled down her cheek. Nate's nose started bleeding again. He grabbed the hem of his shirt and held it to his nose. Gibbs grabbed a Kleenex and handed it to Nate. Nate held the Kleenex to his nose to stop the bleeding. "So, Ziver, what's the whole story?" Gibbs asked.

Ziva proceeded to explain everything that happened. She told him what Nate had told her and what the principal said. "Do not go over there, Gibbs. I have been looking for a school for the gifted to enroll him in and I think I found one in Arlington. It is called Randolph Elementary School. I found it on a website of schools for the gifted. I am going to call them when I get home tonight and see about setting up a meeting with them. This situation moved up my time table, but I think everything will be just fine."

After Nate's nose stopped bleeding, Ziva took him down to the locker room and grabbed one of his extra shirts she kept in her locker. He changed shirts, then Ziva checked him in to the daycare. She called the DC Self Defense Karate Association and told them that Nate would not be attending karate class that day. She then went back upstairs and got back to work.

That afternoon, Tony and McGee brought in a suspect. He was an Arab man and they had evidence that tied him to the terrorist cell. Ziva was going to conduct the interrogation. As soon as she walked in to the interrogation room, she thought that the man looked familiar. She couldn't place it though. The interrogation started rather calmly, but then the man saw her Star of David necklace and began to shout in Arabic. {_**You Jewish Bitch think that you can tell me what to do! Who do you think you are that you can arrest me and interrogate me! I will never tell you anything!}**_Ziva switched to Arabic as well and shouted back at him. {_**You need to calm down! I have dealt with men like you before! Just give me a reason, any reason, and I will punch you in the face! You will not call me a bitch! Just because I am Jewish doesn't give you the right to call me anything other than Agent David!} **_The man glared at her and continued shouting. {_**You are the reason that my family is dead! You and your people caused their deaths! My brother was the only one I had left! But now he is dead too because of a stupid Jewish bitch like you that got away from him!}**_ Ziva felt herself getting warmer and yelled back, {_**How can you say that I am the reason your brother died! I don't even know if I know your brother!}**_ The man jumped to his feet and screamed, {_**My brother was Salem Ulman! He was all I had left**_**!}** Ziva paled and felt the entire room shift. This man before her was related to the man that captured, tortured, and raped her. Suddenly, all she could see was the man before her. She jumped to her feet and attacked him shouting, {_**Your brother captured, tortured, and raped me just because he felt like it! I was the woman that he captured! I didn't kill him! My boss did to save my life! Your brother almost killed me! Now I'm going to show you just what I thought of your brother!}**_

Ziva began kicking and punching the man. Letting all her anger out on him. Suddenly, she felt gentle but firm hands grab her by the shoulders and pull her back. She tried to fight, but finally focused on the voice that went along with the hands and heard Tony trying to call her back to the room. "Ziva! Ziva! Listen to me! You have to calm down! Please!" She collapsed into his arms and let him drag her from the interrogation room. She vaguely saw Gibbs enter the room as they left. As soon as the door closed, Ziva turned and wrapped her arms around Tony. She began to weep openly. Her whole body shook as she clung to him. "That man is Salem's brother. He blames me for his brother's death. I could not take it anymore. I had to let out my anger. I feel so weak," Ziva gasped out between sobs.

Tony paled as he heard this, but just held her tighter and kissed the top of her head. What she needed right then was someone to cry on. That was what he would be for her. Tony struggled with his thoughts. He wanted to march into interrogation and finish what Ziva had started. He also wanted to tell Ziva just how he felt, and that everything would be all right. He couldn't help it. He had to say it.

"I love you, Ziva."

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**Well, what did you think of this chapter. Please keep the reviews coming. I love hearing what you think about the story and what you think should happen. In the next chapter, you will see Ziva's reaction to Tony's declaration. Nate will be enrolled in a new school and have some guy time with Tony.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except for Nathaniel. Don't sue me.**

_Words written like this mean it's in Hebrew._

*Words written like this mean it's in Spanish.*

{Words written like this mean it's in Russian}

**{**_**Words written like this mean it's in Arabic**_**}**

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Ziva felt her heart race when she heard Tony say that he loved her. She went over her thoughts, trying to make sense of the jumble of feelings she had for him. She liked him, sure. But did she love him? She pulled back slightly and looked up at him. As soon as she saw the love in his eyes, all the jumbled feelings fell into place. She buried her head in his chest and a few more tears fell down her face.

"How can you love me, Tony? I am damaged. I have a son that was a product of rape. I was tortured for three months. I am weak," she said quietly.

"No, Ziva. You are not weak. You are not damaged. I don't care how your son was conceived or who the father is. I love you for who you are. Strong, sometimes dangerous, brave, and most of all, loving. You try to bury your emotions, Ziva, but sometimes they break through. I saw how you were with Agent Lee's little sister. I saw how you were when we interviewed that petty officer that had been raped. I saw how you used your own experiences to help the Gunny that was being abused. You are a wonderfully, beautiful woman. That is why I love you."

Ziva felt more tears run down her face as he said that. Her whole body felt warm as he held her. She pulled back a little bit to look into his eyes and said, "I love you too, Tony."

Tony felt his heart leap in his chest and he pulled her back to him. He kissed the top of her head and just held her until Gibbs came out of interrogation.

Gibbs looked angry. "What the hell happened in there, Ziver? You both suddenly started screaming in Arabic and then you attacked him. He won't tell me anything! The entire encounter is on tape and you could get in serious trouble for this!"

Ziva turned and pulled away from Tony and said to Gibbs, "That man saw my Star of David and started screaming at me calling me a Jewish bitch and saying that I had no right to arrest him and interrogate him. I knew that I would not be able to calm him down after that, so I shouted back at him and said that if he would just give me any reason, I would punch him in the face. I told him that he was not going to call me a bitch and that he would call me Agent David. He responded that me and my people are the reason that his family is dead. That his brother was the only one he had left and that he was dead because of 'a stupid Jewish bitch like you that got away.' I tried to say that I could not have been responsible for his brother's death because I did not even know who his brother was. He told me that his brother was Salem Ulman. I do not know what I said after that. All I saw was him and I wanted to kill him and let him join his brother. I apologize for attacking him, but I just could not take it anymore."

Gibbs turned around and went back into the interrogation room. A few seconds later, he walked back out with bloody knuckles and a grin on his face. They all went back to the bullpen and continued finding information on their suspect. When Gibbs went to get coffee, McGee told her what had happened earlier. Gibbs had walked back into the interrogation room and made the sign to stop recording. As soon as the light went off on the camera, he punched the man hard in the face and the man passed out. Then Gibbs had just walked back out. He had never said a word.

Later that afternoon, the team had found enough evidence to convict the man even if he wouldn't confess. McGee finished the interrogation and the man finally confessed to everything and told them where to find the rest of the terrorist cell. After rounding up the other members of the cell, Gibbs let them go early. Tony went with Ziva down to the daycare. _**Hi, mommy,**_ Nate said when he saw her.

"_Hi, Nate. Please only speak in Hebrew or English today. I can't handle Arabic now,_" Ziva said calmly to him. "_Ok, mommy._" "Tony, can you come over tonight?" Ziva asked. "Of course, Ziva. You didn't even have to ask. I'll meet you there," he said.

Ziva, Nate, and Tony went to her apartment and went inside. They decided to watch a movie. After arguing about what to watch for almost twenty minutes, they all finally agreed on "American Tale." They popped some popcorn and sat on the couch in the living room. Nate fell asleep near the end of the movie, and by the end, Ziva knew that they wouldn't be able to wake him up. She gently picked him up and carried him to his room. She carefully undressed him and put him in his pajamas. Tony watched the entire scene from the doorway and marveled at the softer side of Ziva that he didn't normally see. Once Ziva tucked Nate into bed, the two of them went back into the living room and cleaned up the movie mess. Once they finished, Tony started to leave.

"Tony," Ziva said as he began to head for the door. He turned to face her and said, "What is it, Ziva?"

Ziva looked at the ground and hesitated. Then she looked at him and said, "Could you stay with me tonight. After today I will probably have nightmares. I do not want Nate to be the only one here when I start screaming." "Sure, Ziva. I'll just sleep on the couch," he said. Ziva smiled and hugged him. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head. She grabbed an extra pillow and blanket and made up the couch for him. They both went to bed and tried to go to sleep. Tony went to sleep easily.

Ziva laid there staring at the ceiling. She couldn't sleep. The conversation in interrogation kept playing through her head and that brought back memories from Somalia. She felt Salem's hands all over her and him inside of her. She felt herself being dragged back to that dark and dirty room and began to panic. She quickly jumped to her feet and ran to the bathroom. She barely made it to the toilet before she threw up. Once she was sure she wouldn't throw up again, she washed her face and brushed her teeth.

She went into the living room and knelt beside Tony next to the couch. "Tony," Ziva said softly. "Tony," she repeated louder. He grunted and shifted on the couch. She put her hand on his shoulder and gently shook him. "Tony," she said at a normal level. Tony jerked awake and looked at her. "What's wrong, Ziva?" He asked. "I cannot sleep. I keep having memories of Somalia. Will you please lie with me, at least until I fall asleep?" "Of course I will, Ziva. I will stay with you as long as you need me too. I love you, Ziva."

They both went back into her bedroom and lay down. Ziva moved closer to him and laid her head on his chest. Tony wrapped his arms around her and held her close. He gently tilted her head up and gently kissed her on the lips. It wasn't a hungry kiss. It was calming and gentle. Ziva could feel his love for her. She deepened their kiss and ran her hand through his hair. After a few minutes, they broke apart for air. Ziva knew that they would not go any further tonight. Tony knew that too. They kissed again, then settled down to sleep. They both fell asleep within five minutes.

Around two in the morning, Ziva woke up and let out a small, short scream. Tony woke up as he felt her jerk awake. "What's wrong, Ziva?" he asked. "I had a memory of Salem's attack. As soon as I woke up, I felt your arms around me and I was not afraid anymore."

Tony smiled and kissed her. They went back to sleep shortly after.

Four fifteen in the morning came and Ziva woke up without her alarm. She pulled loose from Tony's arms and got up. As she got out of bed, Tony woke up. "Where are you going?" he asked groggily. "I am getting ready for my run. I run ten miles every morning," she informed him. "Wait a minute and I'll join you. I have my workout gear in my overnight bag." "Ok, Tony. I have to get Nate up anyway." She left the room and Tony quickly changed to his workout gear. Ziva came back in right after he pulled his t-shirt on followed closely by Nate who was wearing jersey-knit shorts and a sleeveless t-shirt. Ziva went into her bathroom and came out shortly after in shorts and a tank-top. Ziva grabbed her keys and the three of them left the apartment at four thirty. Tony was surprised when they walked across the street to the park before they started running. They ran for three miles in the park. Tony was again surprised when Ziva and Nate stopped after exactly three miles. Nate climbed on Ziva's back, then she began running again. She led them to the street and ran faster. Tony had to struggle to keep up.

"Why did you run in the park with Nate, then put him on your back and move to the street?" Tony asked between gasps. "It is not good for growing children to run on the roads. Nate can only run three miles with me, so I put him on my back after the three mile mark and run seven more miles on the roads," she explained to him.

They finished their run in front of Ziva's apartment and went inside. Nate automatically went to take a shower as Ziva cooked breakfast. Tony helped her with cooking and they put the three plates of scrambled eggs, turkey bacon, and toast on the table as Nate came out dressed for the day. They poured three cups of cranberry juice and put them on the table. As soon as Ziva finished eating, she went and got in the shower. While she was in the shower, Nate turned to Tony and said, "So, you stayed here last night with Ima?" "Yes I did, Nate. She was upset last night and she asked me to stay." "Did you sleep with her?"

Tony was shocked. He didn't expect that question from a four year old. "I slept in the same bed as her, but that's all that happened. I love your mother. I respect her and will take care of her. She didn't want you to be upset if she had a bad dream last night. She had a hard day yesterday and some of her bad memories were brought back to the surface. I helped keep her calm last night," he explained.

"I know you love her. She needs you. I want you to be my Aba. You are a really good guy and I know that you won't hurt Ima," Nate said. Tony smiled and said, "We'll see, Nate. We'll see."

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**What did you think of this chapter? How did I do? Please review and be brutally honest. The next chapter will see and interview between Ziva and Nate and the principal of a school for the gifted. More Tiva scenes in future chapters.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry for the huge delay. I have had a major case of writers block and have finally broken out of it. Sorry once again.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except for Nathaniel. Don't sue me.**

_Words written like this mean it's in Hebrew._

*Words written like this mean it's in Spanish.*

{Words written like this mean it's in Russian}

**{**_**Words written like this mean it's in Arabic**_**}**

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Tony rode with Ziva and Nate to work. They dropped Nate off at the daycare and went up to the bullpen. "Morning Ziva, Tony," McGee said. Then he got a good look at Tony and said, "Didn't you wear that yesterday?" "Yes I did, McObvious. Ziva asked me to stay at her house last night." "Why would Ziva ask you to stay at her house? Isn't that breaking rule number twelve?" Ziva decided to join the conversation and said, "We are not dating, McGee. I asked him to stay with me last night because after what happened yesterday, I knew that I would most likely have nightmares. I did not want Nate to be the only one there if I started screaming. He does not need that. He is too young." "Did you have a nightmare, Ziva?" Gibbs asked as he walked in. Ziva turned to Gibbs and said, "Yes, but having Tony there, I felt safe. As soon as I saw him, I felt safe." "Good job, Tony. Don't let this get too out of hand. Rule twelve is still in effect," Gibbs said.

Ziva and Tony sat at their desks and got to work. It was a paperwork day. Every now and then, the two of them would look at each other across the aisle. Every time one of them would catch the other looking at them, they would both smile. Gibbs noticed this every time they did it. One time, Tony and Ziva's eyes connected and stayed locked on each other. They kept staring at each other and Gibbs finally said, "When you two are done playing grab ass, we have work to do." Tony and Ziva jumped and got back to work with guilty expressions on their faces.

Around two in the afternoon, Gibbs got up and said, "Ziva, elevator. Now." Ziva got up and followed him to the elevator. The doors closed as soon as she got in and once it started moving, Gibbs flipped the switch to shut it off. The elevator came to a halt and got dark.

Gibbs didn't wait for Ziva to ask any questions. "So what's going on between you and Dinozzo? You have been staring at each other off and on all day." Ziva suddenly seemed to develop an extreme interest in her shoes and didn't answer. Gibbs gently put his hand under her chin and made her look at him, saying, "Hey. I asked you a question."

Ziva hesitated, then said, "I asked him to come home with me last night after work and the three of us watched a movie together. After Nate fell asleep, I put him to bed and asked Tony if he would stay the night. I knew that I would most likely have nightmares last night after the situation in interrogation yesterday. I did not want Nate to be the only one there when I woke up screaming. I told that to Tony and he agreed to stay and sleep on the couch. We both went to bed. I could hear Tony snoring in the living room, but I could not sleep. I felt like I was back in that small, dirty room. I could hear Salem and feel his hands on me. I felt like he was on me again. I ran to the bathroom and threw up. Once I was sure that I would not throw up again, I cleaned my mouth out and went to the living room. I woke up Tony and asked him to sleep in my room with me. He agreed and we both went back to my room. He laid down first and I joined him. I put my head on his chest and he held me close. We both fell asleep shortly. I did have a nightmare, and when I woke up, I started to bolt up and scream, but I felt Tony's arms around me and calmed down. He woke up to and I told him what was wrong. I did not have any more nightmares last night after that. I was safe in his arms."

Gibbs stood in silence for all of her explanation, then said, "There's something more that you're not telling me. If you want, I can ask Dinozzo." Ziva almost cut him off and said, "No. I … I will tell you. Yesterday, after Tony drug me out of interrogation, he told me that he loved me. I admitted that I loved him too. Last night, before we went to sleep after he joined me in my room, we kissed. That is all that happened, I promise. I know that rule number twelve says to never date a coworker, but we still are not technically dating. I love him, Gibbs. And he loves me. He cares about me and Nate. Nate wants Tony as his Aba. He loves Tony too. Nate has mentioned it several times to me, and I am sure that he has mentioned it to Tony as well."

Gibbs stepped up to her and pulled her into his arms. He kissed the top of her head and said, "I'm happy for you, Ziver. He's a good man. He'll be good for you. I actually can't think of a better man for you." Ziva smiled and wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tight. "Thank you, Gibbs," Ziva said quietly. They pulled apart from each other and Gibbs turned on the elevator. They went back into the bullpen and sat back at their desks.

Ziva's cell phone rang and she quickly answered it. "Ziva David," she said. "Oh hello… Yes… Just a minute." She turned to Gibbs and said, "Gibbs, may I leave at four to go to a meeting with the principal of the school I am trying to get Nate into?" "Sure, Ziver. Take as long as you need," he said. Ziva turned back to the phone and said, "Of course I can be there at 4:15… See you then… Thank you… Bye."

Gibbs looked at her and said, "Ziver, you leave earlier that 4 so that you don't have to speed with Nate in the car. You leave the bullpen at 3:45." "Ok, Gibbs," Ziva agreed.

3:45 came and she got up and gathered her stuff. As she was leaving, Tony said, "You want me to come with you to see them?" Ziva looked at Gibbs and saw him slightly nod. "Sure, Tony," Ziva said. They both went down and got Nate from the daycare. They went out to the parking garage and left for the school. Tony noticed that they were entering Arlington and said to Ziva, "So where exactly is this school?" "Not far from here. It is Randolph Elementary School. I do not know how long this will take, Tony. They want to test him to see what class to put him in. Thank you for coming with me."

They arrived at the school at 4:10 and went inside. They found their way to the school offices and were sent right in to the principal. The principal was a rather short man at only 5'3", he was four inches shorter than Ziva. He was slim, and had a kind and trusting face. "Hello. You must be Ziva. And is this young man Nate? Why you look very smart and strong," the principal said in a kind and gentle voice. "You are right. I am Ziva and the child is Nate. This man is my coworker and best friend in the world, Tony. He volunteered to come with me," she told him. "Well, the more, the merrier. Sit down, everyone," the principal said. They all sat down. Ziva, Tony, and Nate on one side of the desk and the principal on the other.

"Now then, I have a few questions about Nate before we test him," the principal said after they all sat down. "First, how old is he?" "He is four years old. He will be five in less than a month," Ziva answered. The principal looked surprised, but continued quickly saying, "When did he first enroll in school?" "He was two and a half when I tried to put him in pre-school and they told me to enroll him in grade school. That he was too smart for pre-school. I convinced the principal of Nalle Elementary School to let him enroll shortly after that." "What grade is he currently in?" "He is in fourth grade, but he is still too smart and the other students make fun of him. Just yesterday, four of the other fourth graders attacked him at recess. That is how he received his broken nose." The principal paused and looked at Nate. He said, "And did you win, Nate?" Nate looked at his Ima, then back at the principal and said, "Yes. I accidentally broke one of the boy's arms. I didn't mean too. He was hurting me. I was just trying to defend myself. He's the one that attacked me, not the other way around." The principal smiled and said, "Good job, Nate. If you have to fight, just stay on the offensive. You did good." He turned back to Ziva and said, "What else is he good at?"

Ziva chuckled, then said, "He plays piano and violin at a mastery level. He sings better than I do. He cooks with me every night and does an excellent job at it. He speaks, reads, and writes English, Hebrew, Spanish, French, Italian, and Russian. He is learning Arabic, Turkish, and German. He is a fifth degree black belt at the DC Self Defense Karate Association and is very good at sparing with me. He also has an incredible memory. He remembers the day he was born in great detail. He memorizes anything he reads. That includes recipes, sheet music, letters, books, and even billboards on the highway."

The principal sat there with a shocked look on his face for a few seconds after she stopped speaking. He finally said, "Well, I think I should give him the test now." He opened the bottom drawer on his desk and pulled out a ten page test. He gave it to Nate along with two sharpened pencils and led him over to a small desk that he could use. Nate immediately got to work and the principal took Ziva and Tony on a tour of the school. He showed them where everything was in the school. By the time they got back to his office, it had been almost forty-five minutes and Nate was almost done with the last page of the test. As soon as he finished it, Nate stood up and handed the principal the test and pencils. When the principal glanced at the front page of the test, he noticed that Nate had excellent handwriting.

"Thank you for coming in today at such short notice. I assure you that further meetings will not be scheduled on such short notice. The couple that had a meeting scheduled for this time canceled shortly before I called you. I will see how Nate did on the test and call you tomorrow to tell you what class he will be enrolled in. I look forward to having him as a student. He seems like a very bright boy. He will be an excellent addition to our school," the principal said.

Tony, Ziva, and Nate left the school very excited. Nate had been accepted into the school and would hopefully no longer have bully troubles. They made it back to the Navy Yard at 5:40pm and took Nate on up to the bullpen with them. Gibbs looked up as they walked in and said, "How'd it go, Ziver?" "It went great, Gibbs. He has been accepted and he took a test to see where they will place him. The principal will call tomorrow and tell us what grade he will be in. I think this will be a good thing for Nate. Nate seemed to like it there too," Ziva informed him. They all got back to work and Nate read a book on the floor next to Ziva. Tony watched Nate for a while before smiling and getting back to work himself.

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**Once again, sorry for the huge delay. I think that this chapter is the longest I've written. Hope you like it and that it was worth the wait. I know that I didn't mention when Ziva contacted the school, but let's say that she contacted them the day before shortly before the interrogation confrontation. Please review and be brutally honest. I'll keep trying to write this story as well as do all my homework and study for tests. I'll update as soon as possible.**


	7. Chapter 7

**I know it has been almost a month since I last updated. I apologize for the major delay in updating. I have been very busy with school and haven't had the chance to finish this chapter. Since it's been so long, the first paragraph in this chapter is the last paragraph in the previous chapter. Once again, sorry for the delay. I will update as often as possible.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except for Nathaniel. Don't sue me.**

_Words written like this mean it's in Hebrew._

*Words written like this mean it's in Spanish.*

{Words written like this mean it's in Russian}

**{**_**Words written like this mean it's in Arabic**_**}**

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Tony, Ziva, and Nate left the school very excited. Nate had been accepted into the school and would hopefully no longer have bully troubles. They made it back to the Navy Yard at 5:40pm and took Nate on up to the bullpen with them. Gibbs looked up as they walked in and said, "How'd it go, Ziver?" "It went great, Gibbs. He has been accepted and he took a test to see where they will place him. The principal will call tomorrow and tell us what grade he will be in. I think this will be a good thing for Nate. Nate seemed to like it there too," Ziva informed him. They all got back to work and Nate read a book on the floor next to Ziva. Tony watched Nate for a while before smiling and getting back to work himself.

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The next day began the same way every other day had. Tony was at his own apartment and Ziva with Nate were at her apartment. They arrived at NCIS and Ziva dropped off Nate at the day care center. The team continued with their paperwork from the previous case and waited for their next call-out. They didn't get a call-out all day. Around 3:15pm, Ziva's cell phone rang. She saw that it was Randolph Elementary School. She answered it and Tony heard her talking with the principal for a little while, then she said, "Thank you. We'll be there on Monday morning. See you then. Goodbye."

Ziva closed the cell phone and turned to Tony. "They are putting him in eighth grade. He told me that next year, Nate would be transferred to Episcopal High School in Alexandria. It is another school for the gifted. He told me that Nate is extremely exceptional and that he is the smartest child that he has ever met," Ziva said. Tony was shocked. They were putting him in eighth grade? That was amazing. "That's incredible, Ziva! I never would have expected that. You know, that means that he will graduate high school shortly after his tenth birthday. I think that he will be the youngest ever to do that. That makes him even more special." "I know, Tony," Ziva said, "But I also worry about it. He will never fit in anywhere. He is always going to be the kid that everyone picks off for being too smart." "It's picks on, Ziva," Tony said. Ziva smiled. She loved it when they corrected her English.

The rest of the day passed without anything interesting happening. Ziva told the others what the principal had said. Around 4:00pm, Gibbs told Ziva that she could bring Nate up to the bullpen. She did and told Nate what the principal had said. He was excited that he now had a place that he could fit in. {Mommy, I'm so excited! I can't wait till Monday to start class. I've missed going to school. It's boring down at the daycare. None of the kids there are smart and all they want to do is play. They never want to do math or anything else like that. They don't know how to read either. They're no fun,} Nate said. Ziva smiled and said, {I know that you don't fit in down there. I'm glad you're excited. We'll get you there early on Monday morning. I love you, Nate.}

At 5:30pm, Gibbs told them all to go home. Tony went over to Ziva's desk and said, "Can I come over to your place so we can watch a movie together?" Ziva nodded and the three of them left. Tony followed her in his own car and they went straight to her apartment. The three of them made dinner together and ate in front of the TV as they watched Beauty and the Beast. Around 10:00, Nate said, **{I'm tired, mommy.}** Ziva smiled and said, **{Ok, Nate. Why don't you go on and get ready for bed, then Tony and I will come tuck you in.}** Nate smiled and said, **{Ok, mommy.}**

Nate went to his room and closed the door. Ziva turned to Tony and said, "Do you want to watch an adult movie after we tuck him in?" "Sure. What did you have in mind?" "How about we watch Mr. and Mrs. Smith?" Ziva suggested. Tony smirked and said, "That sounds great." Nate opened his door and said, *I'm ready, mommy. {Will you come tuck me in?} Ziva smiled and turned to Tony, saying, "He's really tired. He's mixing his languages. Let's tuck him in." Tony and Ziva went to Nate and tucked him in to bed. His head had barely hit the pillow when he fell asleep.

Tony and Ziva went back into the living room and watched Mr. and Mrs. Smith. By the time the movie was over, it was almost 12:30am. Ziva turned to Tony and said, "Do you want to stay here tonight? It's pretty late and tomorrow is Saturday." "Sure, Ziva. Thanks. Do you want me to stay on the couch or in your bed with you?" Tony asked. "The bed is fine. We are both adults. We can share the bed," Ziva said. They went to the bedroom and Tony stripped to his boxers. Ziva changed into some loose pajamas and they lay down. "I love you, Tony," Ziva said. "I love you too, Zi," Tony said. They fell asleep on opposite sides of the bed, but when Tony woke up in the middle of the night, he found that he and Ziva had gotten closer as they slept and now her head was on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and went back to sleep.

Ziva's alarm went off at 7:00am and both of them groaned. Ziva shut it off and got out of bed. "Where are you going," Tony grumbled. "It is the Sabbath, Tony. Nate and I are going to Synagogue. You are welcome to join us if you would like," Ziva said. She went and woke up Nate, then went back to her bedroom, where Tony was getting out of bed. She grabbed her church clothes and went into the bathroom to take a shower. She came out a short while later ready for church and went to see if Nate was ready to get in the shower, he was and went straight there. She went to the kitchen and found Tony cooking a perfectly Kosher breakfast. She smiled and wrapped her arms around his waist, giving him a hug from behind. "Hello, Tony," she said. "Hello, Sweet Cheeks," Tony said. "You do not have to do this, Tony," Ziva said. "I know, but I wanted to," he replied. Ziva kissed his cheek and said, "Thank you. Are you going to come to Synagogue with us?" "Yes I am, Zi. Once Nate is done in the shower, I'm going to get ready. I have a go-bag in my car if you could go get that while I finish here." Ziva pulled away from him and grabbed her keys and his. She went and got his go-bag from the car. When she got back, Nate was sitting at the table eating his breakfast that Tony had made. Ziva smiled and went to the bathroom where Tony was taking a shower. She set his go-bag on the floor just inside the door and went back to the kitchen.

She joined Nate and they talked until Tony came out dressed in one of his normal suits. That was the advantage of having a job that you needed to dress up for every day. You're go bag had dress clothes in it as well as casual clothes. He sat at the table with Nate and Ziva and they finished their breakfast. Nate washed the dishes after everyone was done eating and Tony joined him. "You stayed here again last night," Nate said. It was a statement, not a question. "Yes I did, Nate. After you went to bed, your mom and I watched another movie. By the time it was over, your mom invited me to stay because it was after midnight," Tony explained. Nate nodded, then said, "Are you in love with her?" Tony smiled at how observant the boy was. "Yes I am, Nate. I love her more than anything else in the world," Tony said.

Neither of them knew that Ziva was standing outside the kitchen and had heard what Tony had said to Nate. She felt her heart leap in her chest when he said that. She went back to her bedroom and grabbed her wallet. As she went back into the living room, she said, "Time to go. We do not want to be late again." The three of them all left the apartment and got in Ziva's mini-cooper. Ziva drove to the Adas Israel Congregation Synagogue and got there just in time. After the service ended, they went back to her apartment and watched another movie. They settled on watching an old Danny Kaye movie, The Court Jester. Once it was over, they ate lunch. After Ziva and Tony washed the dishes, the three of them decided to play a board game. They decided on Clue. After Nate won five times in a row, they decided to stop. Nate went over to the piano and began to play Debussy's Clair de Lune. Once he finished, Ziva sat next to him and they played The Entertainer. Then they played Heart and Soul. Then Ziva played violin as Nate played piano. They played for the rest of the time before dinner. After dinner, the three of them worked out in the living room. Then Ziva and Nate wrestled for a while. After the two of them got to their feet, Tony tackled Ziva and the two of them started wrestling. Both of them were laughing the entire time as they rolled around on the ground, each trying to pin the other. Nate joined in and it became a three way wrestling match. Long story short, Nate won.

Tony stayed again at Ziva's apartment overnight, and when Gibbs called Tony at 4:30 in the morning saying that they had three dead marines at Cherry Hill Park, Gibbs said, "Tell Ziva and meet us there." "Yes, Boss," Tony said. He turned to Ziva and said, "Ziva, Gibbs called." Ziva sat up and said, "Where are we going?" "Cherry Hill Park," he replied. The two of them got out of bed and got dressed. Ziva left a note for Nate and said she would be back later to take him to the daycare. She put his favorite cereal and a bowl on the counter where he could easily reach them, then she and Tony left. They took Tony's car and arrived at the crime scene shortly after Gibbs and McGee. They processed the crime scene and made it back to headquarters by 6:00am. They went over the evidence and found bank records and other information about the two victims until 8:30. Then Ziva said, "Tony, may I borrow your car?" "Why do you need it, Zee-va?" he said, stretching out her name. "I need to go get Nate and we took your car this morning," was her reply. He tossed her his keys and she left to go get him.

Once the elevator closed, McGee said, "Did you stay at her place last night?" "Yes I did, McGenius. I also stayed Friday night. We watched Beauty and the Beast with Nate, then after he went to bed, we watched Mr. and Mrs. Smith. It was late by the time the movie was over, so Ziva let me stay the night. I went to Synagogue with her and Nate on Saturday morning, then we hung out all day watching movies, playing clue, playing the piano and violin, and wrestling and working out in the living room. We were just having fun with Nate." McGee shook his head and said, "Aren't you worried about Gibbs finding out?" "I don't care if he finds out, Tim. I love Nate, and I love Ziva. There isn't anything that could change that. We aren't technically dating yet, but that's just because I haven't asked her yet. I wanted to talk to Gibbs first," Tony said. "Is that so, DiNozzo?" Gibbs voice came from behind Tony. Tony whirled around and saw Gibbs standing right behind him. "Oh, hi, boss. How long have you been standing there?" "Long enough, Tony. If you hurt her, I hurt you. Do you understand?" Gibbs said. Tony smiled and said, "Understood, boss." Gibbs walked towards his desk with a fresh coffee in hand and said over his shoulder, "Just keep it out of the office. The second I think your relationship is interfering with your work, one of you is going to a new team. And I am not loosing Ziva."

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**Well, how was it. I know there wasn't a lot of dialogue in this chapter, but there wasn't much that I could do. Got to see some more Tiva action and some more guy time. Gibbs has given permission, so now Tony and Ziva can start dating, right? We'll see where this takes us. I'm just making this up as I go along. Even I don't know what's going to happen in each chapter. Please review and be brutally honest. If I need to change anything, I will. Just so you all know, all the schools, parks, hospitals, and any other location that I specifically name, are all real places in and around Washington DC. Again, Please review and I hope to be able to update again soon.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Here is another chapter. I'm sorry if the quality of my story is going down, but I've had a lot going on recently. My cat, who we have had since I was five, died. The play that I am in is getting to be very frustrating. Several people are forgetting their lines, one boy doesn't know most of his lines, and there is a lot of wait time during practice because he doesn't know that he is supposed to speak or even what he is supposed to say. I'm trying to keep up with everything plus getting my homework done, memorizing songs for choir, studying, and writing stories. Well, here goes.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except for Nathaniel. Don't sue me.**

_Words written like this mean it's in Hebrew._

*Words written like this mean it's in Spanish.*

{Words written like this mean it's in Russian}

**{**_**Words written like this mean it's in Arabic**_**}**

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The case was very simple. Turns out, one of the marines had a jealous wife who killed all three of them. She confessed by 8:00 that night. The team filed their case reports, then everyone went home. Tony, Ziva, and Nate all got in Tony's car and went to his apartment so he could pick up some more clothes. Then they went back to Ziva's apartment. Ziva and Nate cooked diner. They had Fettuccini Alfredo with broccoli. They all ate, then Tony washed the dishes. Once the dishes were clean and put away, the three of them decided to watch a movie. After another argument about what to watch, they finally settled on "The Lion King." Nate fell asleep around 10:00. There was still another half hour of the movie, so Ziva and Tony stopped the tape where it was and Ziva carried Nate to bed. The two of them carefully changed him into his pajamas and tucked him into bed.

They went back to the living room and put in "Air Force One." After it was over, they went into Ziva's room and went to bed. They didn't even start out on opposite sides of the bed this time. Ziva laid down with her head on Tony's chest and he wrapped his arms around her. "Good night, Sweetcheeks," Tony said. "Good night, my little Hairy Butt," Ziva replied.

The alarm went off at 4 o'clock in the morning. And Ziva untangled herself from Tony's arms. He woke up as she got out of bed and said, "You going to run?" "Yes I am, Tony. I'm going to go wake up Nate. We leave in thirty minutes. You can join us if you want to," she said as she left the room. Tony forced himself to get out of bed and changed to his running shorts and a t-shirt. Ziva came back into the bedroom as soon as he was dressed, followed closely by Nate, who was already dressed as well. Ziva went into the bathroom and changed into her running outfit. "Good morning, Nate. How are you?" Tony asked the boy. "I'm excited! I get to go to school today! Now I won't be bored all day," he replied.

Ziva came out of the bathroom ready to go and the three of them took off. They did their normal running routine and got back to the apartment and took their showers and ate breakfast. They just had cereal with milk that morning. Then they washed the dishes and Nate went to finish getting ready for school. The three of them left together in Ziva's car. They arrived at Randolph Elementary School and all three of them went to the office. "Hello, Ms. David. Nice to see you again," the principal said. "Hello, Principal Johnson. It is good to see you too. Nate is excited to start today," Ziva said. "That's good. If you'll follow me, I'll take you to Nate's classroom," he said. The four of them left the office and walked down the hall. They arrived at a classroom at the end of the hall and the principal said, "This is the eighth grade classroom. Nate, this is where you will be for the rest of this year. Let's go on in, shall we." He entered first, closely followed by Nate, Ziva, and Tony. "Mrs. Peterson, this is Nate. He will be joining your class starting today. He is four years old," the principal said. Mrs. Peterson knelt down in front of Nate and said, "Hello, Nate. It's good to meet you." "It's good to meet you too, Mrs. Peterson," Nate replied. Mrs. Peterson stood up and said, "Why don't you and your parents say goodbye and then I'll show you where to put your stuff."

Ziva and Tony crouched down by Nate and hugged him. "Have fun today, Nate. Tony or I will be here to pick you up and take you to Karate after school. I love you, Nate," Ziva said. She kissed him on the forehead and stood up. Tony turned Nate to him and said, "See you later, little man." He hugged him and stood up. The two of them left and they heard Nate say, "See you later, Ima, Tony."

Tony and Ziva went to NCIS and set about their normal day. They had no new cases, so they were doing paperwork all day. 2:30 came and Ziva said to Gibbs, "Either Tony or I need to go and take Nate to Karate. Can you spare one of us?" Gibbs smiled and said, "Go ahead, Ziver. Take Tony with you." The two of them got up and grabbed their stuff. As they were leaving the bullpen, Gibbs called after them, "Just so you know, rule 12 is out the window."

The two of them smiled as the elevator doors closed. While they were still in the elevator, Tony turned to Ziva and said, "I've been wanting to ask you something, but I was worried about rule 12. Since Gibbs is basically giving us permission, I wanted to ask you out." Ziva smiled and said, "We were already basically dating, we just were not official. Now we are."

The elevator reached the parking garage and the two of them went to her car. They drove to the school and got there in time to pick up Nate. They took him to the DC Self Defense Karate Association and dropped him off. They both kissed his forehead as they dropped him off. They drove back to NCIS and got back to work. Ziva knew that one of the instructors at the Karate Association would take Nate to the NCIS daycare when he was done. They all finished their paperwork by six o'clock and Gibbs said, "Go home. All of you. See you in the morning." The three of them quickly got their stuff together and hurried to the elevator. Tony and Ziva got Nate and they went back to Ziva's apartment again.

They ordered Pizza. A cheese pizza for Ziva and Nate, and a sausage and pepperoni pizza for Tony. The pizza arrived at almost seven. As they ate, Tony and Ziva asked Nate about his day. "It was great! I had a lot of fun. I already made some friends. There's an eight year old boy named Joe. He's great. We both like the same stuff, except he's not Jewish. He's a Christian. There is a six year old girl named Tabitha. She is Jewish. She goes to the same Synagogue that we do. I just had never met her. I am the youngest one there, but there are at least other kids close to my age. I can't wait to go back tomorrow! We're going to be talking about Sine, Cosine, and Tangent in math and World War II in History. I feel like I'm actually learning something now!" Nate said excitedly. "That is very good, Nate. I'm glad you are making friends," Ziva said. "I am too, little man. It's no fun having no friends," Tony said. They finished their dinner and Nate took out the trash. The three of them played "Clue" for a while, then by nine o'clock, Nate said that he was really tired. They put the game away and Nate went to bed.

Tony talked Ziva into watching the first James Bond movie. After it was over, the two of them went to bed. They laid down like they always did with Ziva's head on Tony's chest. Tony leaned down and kissed her forehead. She tilted her head up and kissed him on the lips. At first, Tony was a little surprised, but he soon kissed her back. The kiss heated up, and before they knew it hands were roaming. At this point, Ziva jerked back and Tony saw a hint of fear in her eyes. Tony was a little confused and said, "What's wrong?" Ziva looked away and said, "I can't do this tonight, Tony." "That's ok, Ziva. You don't have to. I will never force you," he replied. She smiled slightly and laid back down in his arms. They laid there for a few minutes, then Tony said, "What made you jerk back?" Ziva stiffened in his arms, then said, "Your hand went under the back of my shirt. I was afraid of what you would feel. Then all I could think about was something that Salem said." "What did he say?" Tony asked. Ziva remained silent for a while, and Tony decided to let her tell him in her own time. She finally said, "He told me that I was worthless now, and that nobody would ever want me again if they say the scars." Tony turned her to face him and took her face in his hands. He said, "He was wrong. You aren't worthless. I want you. I don't care about the scars. You are beautiful. Inside and out." Ziva pulled back from him and turned away. "You haven't seen the scars, Tony," she said. "Then show them to me," he said.

Ziva sat on the edge of the bed. After a few minutes, she said, "Fine. I will show you my scars. Then you will see that I am not beautiful. You will see that I am damaged. Then you will understand why you should not want me." She kept her back to him and took her shirt off. She heard Tony gasp and a tear rolled down her cheek. Tony stared at her back. It was covered in crisscross scars. She had obviously been whipped several times. Ziva was startled when she felt his gentle touch on her back. He traced all of the scars and followed his hand with his lips. He gently kissed all the scars on her back. Tears rolled down her face freely. Tony noticed her shoulders start shaking. He turned her to face him and wrapped his arms around her. He held her as she wept. "I still say that you are beautiful. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever met. The scars only prove how strong you are. They mean that you survived. That you are alive and well. I love you. There is nothing that can change that," Tony said gently as he held her. He held her until she stopped crying.

The two of them laid down and Tony held her as she fell asleep. He fell asleep shortly after she did. He dreamed that night about his and Ziva's possible future. He saw them living in a nice house with three young children of their own. He saw Nate studying for his last college class at the age of 12. A five year old girl that looked just like Ziva was playing with her twin brother who looked a lot like Tony. A two year old girl was in Ziva's arms. She had Ziva's hair and Tony's eyes and skin tone. Tony thought that if any of his dream came true, he would truly be the happiest man alive.

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**Well, what did you think? Please review and tell me what you think. I apologize for taking a while to update. I have been very busy with the play that I'm in. We are currently in the middle of show weekend. We had our opening performance last night and have two more performance before we're done. I will update as soon as I can. Once again, please review and be brutally honest. I like having input on my stories. Tell me what you think so far and give me some suggestions for later chapters.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry it's been so long. I had finals week at the end of the spring semester, I got a job, I had a summer class, and now I have three fall classes. So here it is. Chapter 9.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except for Nathaniel. Don't sue me.**

_Words written like this mean it's in Hebrew._

*Words written like this mean it's in Spanish.*

{Words written like this mean it's in Russian}

**{**_**Words written like this mean it's in Arabic**_**}**

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The two of them lay down and Tony held her as she fell asleep. He fell asleep shortly after she did. He dreamed that night about his and Ziva's possible future. He saw them living in a nice house with three young children of their own. He saw Nate studying for his last college class at the age of 12. A five year old girl that looked just like Ziva was playing with her twin brother who looked a lot like Tony. A two year old girl was in Ziva's arms. She had Ziva's hair and Tony's eyes and skin tone. Tony thought that if any of his dreams came true, he would truly be the happiest man alive.

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Tony woke up and was surprised to find Ziva still in his arms, fast asleep. He knew that it was later than normal for her to wake up. The light was too bright for it to be 4 o'clock. Tony lifted his head to look at the clock on the night stand and saw that it was almost 6. He smiled. Last night must have been really hard on Ziva for her to sleep so late. Tony heard a knock on the door and Nate came in. "Good morning, Nate. Your mom must have been really tired last night for her to sleep so late," Tony said. "Morning, Tony. I'm hungry," Nate said. Tony smiled and carefully moved away from Ziva so he wouldn't wake her up. She didn't even twitch. He got up and led Nate to the kitchen. They made pancakes for all three of them, and then let Nate eat while he went to wake up Ziva. He quietly went into the bedroom and got on the bed behind her. He wrapped his arms around her rather tightly so she wouldn't hit him when she woke up, then said gently into her ear, "Ziva, time to wake up. I made breakfast." Ziva groaned and tried to move away. Then she realized that she couldn't move and started to thrash around. "Hey, hey, Ziva. It's just me. I didn't want you to hit me when I woke you up. You over slept. I made breakfast," Tony said.

Ziva stopped thrashing and snuggled back into his arms. "I love you, Tony," she said. "I love you too, Z. Now let's go eat breakfast," Tony replied. Both of them got up and went to eat breakfast. Nate finished his breakfast as the two of them sat down, so he went to take his shower and get ready for school. Tony and Ziva finished breakfast, and then washed the dishes together. Nate got out of the shower, and Ziva went and took hers. As soon as she got out, Tony went in and took his shower. By the time he got out, it was pushing 7:30, and they had to get Nate to school. They left quickly and dropped Nate off at school. They stepped off the elevator at NCIS and were halfway to the bullpen when Gibbs's voice rang out and said, "Grab your gear. We've got a dead marine at Arlington." Tony and Ziva turned around and got back in the elevator. McGee and Gibbs joined them a second later. "Just getting in?" Tim asked them. "Had a rough night and overslept. Then we had to get Nate ready for school and get him there," Tony said before Ziva could answer. 'This would be great for my next book,' McGee thought.

When they got to Arlington, they saw a huge crowd of people standing around police tape. "Don't these people have jobs?" Tony said. The four of them grabbed their gear and pushed their way through the crowd to the tape. They ducked under it and went over to the body. Local police stood around making sure that none of the civilians got in the way. They started collecting evidence from the scene and taking pictures. Ducky and Jimmy pulled up and came over. "Sorry we're late, Jethro. Mr. Palmer got us lost again," Ducky said as he knelt down beside the body. "I did not get us lost. You gave me the wrong map," Jimmy argued. "Well you should have checked it before taking us on a five mile detour," Ducky said. He took the dead marine's liver temperature and Gibbs said, "Time of death, Duck?" "If I estimate correctly, around two thirty this morning. Heaven knows what he was doing out here at that time," Ducky responded. The team finished collecting evidence, and then Ducky took the body back to NCIS. The team piled in the van and they went back. "Ziver, you take the evidence down to Abby. The rest of you get to work on suspects," Gibbs said as they arrived.

Ziva took the box of evidence down to Abby. "Hi, Ziva! How are you?" Abby said excitedly. Ziva flinched at her exuberance and said, "I am fine, Abby. I had a tough night, but I am better now." Abby instantly calmed down slightly and said, "What happened?" "It is nothing, Abby. Tony and I just had a long talk about the past." Abby frowned, and then said, "What did you talk about?" "I don't really want to talk about it right now. I talked enough last night." "Was it Somalia?" Abby asked boldly. Ziva flinched at the word, but nodded. "What about Somalia?" Abby asked. Ziva hesitated, and then said, "Something that Saleem said." "What did he say?" Abby said. Tears threatened to spill down Ziva's face as she said, "He said that I was worthless and nobody would want me if they saw the scars." "What scars?" Abby asked. Ziva hesitated, then turned and lifted the back of her shirt. Abby gasped and Ziva felt a gentle touch on her back. Abby pulled away, and then lifted the back of her shirt even higher. She felt Abby trace every scar, and then Abby said, "I'm sorry that we didn't find you sooner. I should have tried harder to find you." Ziva whirled around and said, "None of what happened to me was your fault. None of it. I know for a fact that you did all that you could. You are the one that tracked him down using Caf-Pow!. Besides, if you had found me sooner, I wouldn't have Nate. I love him with all my heart. Something good can always come out of even the darkest places. The scars will fade, eventually. The scars inside are already healing." Ziva wrapped her arms around Abby and said, "Thank you for tracking him down. I know that Saleem was wrong about everything. Tony does love me. He proved that to me last night when he kissed every single scar and held me close until I stopped crying. The scars don't change anything." Abby hugged her tightly, then pulled away and said, "I'd better get to work on the evidence. I don't want to make Gibbs angry." Ziva smiled and said, "I will see you later, Abby." She left the lab and went back up to the bullpen. She got to work and the day went on like usual.

At ten o'clock that night, Gibbs said, "Everybody go home. We'll get a fresh start tomorrow." Tony and Ziva quickly grabbed their stuff and went down to get Nate. They picked him up, then went home. They grabbed something to eat on the way and ate as soon as they got home. Nate went to bed almost immediately after he finished eating. Tony and Ziva sat down and watched "Kate and Leopold" then went to bed. They laid down and wrapped their arms around each other. "Ziva," Tony said. "Yes, Tony?" Ziva replied. Tony stayed quiet for a moment then said, "I love you so much. I don't know why I waited so long to admit it." Ziva smiled, and said, "I love you too, Tony." She leaned up and kissed him. The kiss became more and more heated and their hands started roaming again. Their kisses got more and more passionate. Tonight, they weren't stopping.

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**Sorry This took so long. I have been extremely busy lately. Even more than usual. I took Child Psychology online this summer and I had to keep up with that. Then I had three church camps that I was involved. I also had VBS and family camping trips where I couldn't have my laptop with me. I've also been working at Dollar General and dealing with three college classes that meet three or four days a week. I don't have a lot of time to work on my stories. I also have had a major case of writers block. I finally seem to have broken through it. Sorry the chapter is so much shorter that I have started writing. This just seemed like a good place to stop.**


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